Yankees Claim Ex-Astros, Blue Jays Hard-Throwing Lefty After Solid Season
The New York Yankees reportedly made an intriguing move Monday.
New York has been looking to improve its bullpen lately and is turning to a former member of the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays as a possible option.
The Yankees claimed former Astros and Blue Jays left-handed reliever Matt Gage to add organizational depth, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman.
"Yankees claim lefty reliever Matt Gage," Heyman said. "He’d been placed on waivers by the Astros. Upstate NY native."
Gage is an intriguing player to look out for in the New York system now. He is 30 years old and has appeared in just 16 games at the big league level, but has been solid in that small sample size. Gage has allowed just four earned runs across 19 2/3 innings pitched with the Astros and Blue Jays.
He was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 10th round of the 2014 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft and bounced around the minor leagues before finally making his big league debut with the Blue Jays in 2022.
In eight seasons in the minors, Gage has compiled a 3.97 ERA across 224 total appearances to go along with a 557-to-180 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
He may not have much big-league experience, but it wouldn't be too surprising to see him get time with New York in 2024. The Yankees have been looking for some left-handed help for the bullpen lately and Gage is a low-cost option with some upside.
Gage hasn't spent much time in the Majors, but that could change in 2024.
